Bookmark



' Feb, 15, 1938.

LANSING BOOKMARK Filed June 8, 1955 INVENTOR.

ATTORNEY.

Patented Feb. 15, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFHE 1 Claim.

This invention relates to bookmarks. It is an object of thisinvention to provide a new and improved bookmark which will be retained in place with the minimum of eifort on the part of the reader. It is a further object to provide a bookmark which will facilitate finding the place after the book is closed. It is a further object to provide a bookmark which will be neat in appearance and which, if desired, may be used to indicate not only the page but the line at which the reading is to be recommenced. It is a further object to provide a bookmark which will not easily fall out of the book while it is being carried and which will be adjustable to conform to different sizes of books. It is a further object to provide a bookmark by which one or more lines may be indicated to designate the point at which the reading is to be commenced or ended. It is a further object to provide a bookmark which may be utilized as a removable index tab for either temporary or permanent use.

The invention accordingly comprises an article of manufacture possessing the features, properties, and the relation of elements which will be exemplified in the article hereinafter described and the scope of the application of which will be indicated in the claim.

Figure I is a perspective view showing a book with a bookmark in place.

Figure 2 is a View of a slightly modified form of mark.

Figure 3 is a side elevation of the construction shown in Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a further modification.

Figure 5 is a-section on the line 5-5 of Figure 2.

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary enlarged perspective view of a portion of Fig. 1.

In the drawing, .the numeral Ill represents a book lying open to expose leaves I 2.

The bookmark in the form illustrated in Figure 1 comprises a body portion composed of a pair of members l3 and M, which telescopically engage each other, each being provided with a right angle extension l5 and I6, adapted to engage the edges of leaves l2. While two telescoping members are illustrated in Fig. 1 of the drawing the number may be varied and three are illustrated in Fig. 4 of the drawing. In each form of the invention the two end members are each formed at its extremity to provide a smooth uninterrupted surface portion and a flat extension l5 or Iii projecting from the respective end of the body portion at right angles thereto.

In operation, the bookmark may be placed on the leaf extended to greater length than the length of the leaves and then quickly telescoped to cause the edges l5 and Hi to engage firmly against the edges of the leaves to hold the bookmark in place.

This construction has distinct advantages over the book shaped members adapted to engage around the ends of a number of leaves because if said book shaped members were employed, a reader would have to select a certain number of leaves to place within the hook corresponding to the spaced distance between the hook members, thus causing delay and inconvenience which would be apt to cause the bookmark to be discarded without being used and possible damage to the pages.

With the bookmark herein illustrated, however, it is only necessary to lay the bookmark upon the leaves and then draw the parts together without the necessity of selecting any particular group of leaves.

For some purposes I prefer to slidingly attach upon the bookmark a relatively long marker element or a member ll extending from the body portion at right angles thereto outward past the edges of the leaves to provide a projecting tab l8, which may carry suitable index space as shown at I9, if desired. To achieve this result the end of the tab may be folded back upon itself to provide a compartment to receive a suitable card carrying the index designation. This folded back portion being attached along its top and bottom edges and being free upon its inner edge to permit the insertion of the designation, and it may also be provided with an opening in its outer edge so that the point of a pencil or other instrument may be inserted to remove the card, when desired.

This member I! may itself be slidably mounted upon the member l4 so that its vertical position may be changed at will and for this purpose the marker element for member I! has a portion slidably embracing and frictionally fitting said body portion. With this form of construction it is possible to use this bookmark as a temporary index tag when referring to different parts of a book during the study thereof without in any manner mutilating the leaves of the book.

The form of the invention disclosed in Figure 2 is generally similar to that shown in Figure 1, except that in this form a slider 20 is provided upon the member [4 which may carry an index 2|, to indicate the line at which reading is to be recommenced.

A practical form of making this construction is shown in Figure 5, in which it is seen that the member 20 encircles the member l4, which in turn encircles the member l3.

In the construction of Figure 4, three telescopic members are provided, 22, 23 and 24, and members 25 and 26 similar to the member 20 may be provided upon the member 23.

By the provision of these three slidable elements, greater flexibility is obtained in the position of the sliding members 25 and 26, without their needing to slide them off of the member 23, at the same time a greater degree of extension is obtained.

Since certain changes may be made in carrying out the above method without departing from the scope of the invention, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

It is also to be understood that the following claim is intended to cover all of the generic and specific features of the invention herein described, and all statements of the scope of the invention which, as a matter of language, might be said to fall therebetween.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

A fiat bookmark comprising a body portion having a plurality of telescoping members each of suflicient flatness to lie between the pages of a book when the latter is closed, without materiallyincreasing its thickness or harming its binding, said members being frictionally held in any adjusted position relative to each other, the end portions of said body having projections extending at right angles to the body portion lightly to engage the leaves of a book to hold the marker in place, and a flat marker embracing said body portion and movable thereon from substantially one end to the other and frictionally held in any adjusted position, said marker having an extended portion adapted to extend beyond the edges of the leaves of a book and carrying a pocket to receive a card.

MORTIMER N. LANSING. 

